Field & Garden

I was so pleased to have Wanda Haken as a special guest on Clubhouse! Wanda is a commercial peony farmer located in the Alaskan interior, and she shared with us some great peony harvesting tips based on research performed at the University of Alaska. Wanda is also a student of The Gardener's Workshop courses, a former school teacher, and a very knowledgeable grower! She offers advice for new and seasoned peony growers - something for everyone!

Links & Mentions:

Fox Hollow Peonies: Website Facebook Instagram YouTube

Learn more about peonies in Flower School! Join the waitlist now for annual enrollment in June.

Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies & More! With Dave Dowling

More about Dr. Patricia Holloway of the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) School of Natural Resources and Extension

Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when we schedule new chats!

The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

Whether you're a flower enthusiast home gardener or a commercial cut-flower grower, you know that you want your cut flowers to last as long as possible. In this episode, I cover post-harvest care for cut flowers in lots of different scenarios, and the practices that I recommend if you're selling to florists, at supermarkets, at the farmers' market, or at your farm stand. There are 5 general steps that both commercial growers and home gardeners should strive to follow to maximize vase life:

1. Harvest flowers at the proper stage. Each flower has its own ideal cutting stage. Some flowers continue to develop after you cut them (Sunflowers, Snapdragons), but some don't (Zinnias, Cockscomb). Do not harvest wet flowers.

2. After cutting, allow flowers to rest and rehydrate before arranging. Learn the ideal temperature for resting (conditioning) each type of flower.

3. Treatments can be added to the water that freshly-cut flowers are conditioned in to improve water uptake, hold color, and improve vase life.

4. Harvest buckets and vases should be washed and sanitized between uses, otherwise bacteria grows in them that will diminish flower vase life. My saying is that if you wouldn't be willing to drink out of your harvest buckets and vases then they're not clean enough!

5. Harvest at the ideal time of day (when flowers are more hydrated) to prevent wilting problems - typically early morning after the dew dries.

Amy Stewart's Book Flower Confidential: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful Products Mentioned: CVBN Tabs, Holding Solution T Bags, Fresh Cut-Flower Food, Bulb Cut-Flower Food

The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

In this episode, I am exploring more entrepreneurship opportunities that grow out of and to the business of flower farming. I was honored to interview the dynamic couple, Daniel Schavey and Wesley Turner who own four businesses:

Petal Picker Flower Co. (flower farm) Roots (a garden boutique and garden center) 4Rooms (Home Décor) The Nested Fig (Live Shopping Show)

Listen to our conversation as we talk about the fears, the wins, the failures, and how to get through it all.

Connect :

Farmshenanigans Instagram

Petal Pickers Instagram

The Nested Fig Instagram

The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

In this recent Clubhouse chat, Lisa interviewed Janis Harris of Harris Flower Farm in southwestern Ontario Canada. They discussed what it's like growing flowers at her farm in hardiness zone 5b/6a, and how it is different from Lisa's farm in zone 7b/8a in Virginia. Janis shares some tips for northern growers, but also offers great general growing advice about how to learn the best practices for your own particular zone and climate, wherever you are. There's something in this chat for everyone!

Links & Mentions:

Harris Flower Farm: Website Facebook Instagram

Harris Farm Tour (August 15, 2022) *open to ASCFG members only*

Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers

American Horticultural Society: How to find your local garden clubs and plant societies

Are you a flower farmer or aspiring to become one? Join our private Facebook Group: The Flower Farmer Show

Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats!

The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

As we are heading into the season here on my little flower farm, I'm reminded just how deep it is about to become as the flowers, the heat, and those weeds are about to get going. Walk with me as I look at the layers of a cutting garden and how I have learned to enjoy the journey. Links & Mentions: Bachelor Button Seed Mixes from The Gardener's Workshop Excited about our partnership with the Growing For Market Magazine! A tremendous resource. Use the coupon code: WORKSHOP to get 25% off any subscription. Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers Sunny Meadows Flower Farm: Website Instagram TikTok Bio360 Product Page with Install Videos Dave Dowling's 6-week course, Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies and More! Enrollment begins June 9th, 2022, More Info & Join the waitlist The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

Steve and Gretel Adams have become very well-known in the cut flower growing world. They went from homesteading market gardeners on a quarter-acre plot to "rock star" cut-flower producers with over 17 greenhouses and 20 employees! Have you ever wondered how they got their start? How Sunny Meadows Flower Farm came to be? In this interview they talk through the progression of their business, including:

• Specializing in certain crops
• The fear of hiring and managing employees
• Scaling up over time
• Quality of life investments & finding balance
• The future of Sunny Meadows Flower Farm

This episode is packed with great business and general life advice!

Links & Mentions:

Book: The Organic Farmer's Business Handbook

Flower Farming School Online: Growing Cut-Flower Crops in Hoops & Greenhouses

More from Sunny Meadows Flower Farm: Website Instagram TikTok

The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

Today I have more "keeper clips" from Clubhouse for you! Lisa hosts a chat called The Flower Farmer Show on the Clubhouse app each Wednesday to cover various flower farming and flower business topics. In today's episode, I'm sharing clips of Lisa covering the topics of Succession Planting and the 411 on Zinnias! She offers some great tips here that can make a BIG difference for your farm or garden, so I hope you enjoy!

Succession Planting for Consistent Supply: Succession planting annual plants is how we plan for a consistent supply of high-quality flowers, herbs, and vegetables throughout the season. This method of planting also helps you manage common problems like severe weather events and pest or disease outbreaks.

Let's Talk Zinnias!: Here's the 411 on Zinnias! Lisa runs through her method of growing them from start to finish, including harvesting and post-harvest care, plus descriptions of the varieties that she grows.

Sign up: TGW Free Weekly Farm E-Newsletter

Blog: Zinnia Talk

Are you on the Clubhouse phone app? Join Lisa's club, called Flower Farming, to be notified when she schedules new chats!

The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

Ants on peonies…did you know they are beneficial? Ants patrol the blooms for the sweet nectar and inadvertently protect the nectar and the blooms from pests in their greediness!

Why do we find ants on peonies? Because of all the sweet nectar they produce! Peonies have extrafloral nectaries (EFN) - they exude nectar from other parts of the plant beyond the inside of the flower. Ants feed on this nectar, which becomes more plentiful closer to blooming.

Ants are not garden pests, they are hard workers with lots of garden duties! Ants are predators of garden pests, they aerate the soil, and perform cleanup of decomposing debris. Rhonda encourages you to observe ants in your garden to see what they're doing, as different types of ants have different jobs. Lisa and Rhonda briefly discuss the differences between native and non-native insects, and how humans affect the spread of non-natives.

Lisa talks about peony harvesting on her farm and shares some great peony tips from Dave Dowling:

• Peony buds can be held in a cooler at 34 degrees for at least a couple of weeks. To store them in water in a cooler, harvest blooms at the "marshmallow stage."
• Quality and quantity of blooms for next year depend on water intake in July/August of this year, so make sure your peonies get enough water in summer, irrigating if needed.
• Leave as much stem and foliage on the plants as possible so that plants continue to gather energy through the season. Lisa only cuts up to 24" stems no matter how tall her peonies are.

Links & Mentions:

The Gardener's Workshop Free Resources Library

Dave Dowling's 6-week course, Flower Farming School Online: Bulbs, Perennials, Woodies and More! Enrollment begins June 9th, 2022, More Info & Join the waitlist

The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

My fascination with Ellen Frost's local flower sourcing design studio model, Local Color Flowers, began years ago when we first met. Every flower farmer needs an Ellen on their customer list!

Local Color Flowers is located in Baltimore, Maryland. She buys all her flowers from growers within 100 miles of the shop, and she does it year-round. Let's walk through a year, month-by-month of what is going on in Ellen's studio plus what they are buying. Please see the PDF link below for the full outline.

Links & Mentions

PDF: A Designer's Month-to-Month (What they buy)

Request Ellen's Dried Wreath Webinar

Connect with Ellen on Instagram: Local Color Flowers Florist Buying Local Flowers

Learn about Ellen's Course Growing Your Business with Local Flower Sourcing

The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!

Are floral collectives the key to the future for domestic cut flower growers? This episode features a recent panel discussion about our new on-demand online course, Collectives 101: A guide for joining and selling through regional wholesale hubs, with Amelia Ihlo. Lisa is joined by Amanda Montgomery of River City Flower Exchange and Jonathan Leiss of Spring Forth Farm to gain insight into the world of floral collectives and to hear first-hand the potential value of this new course for flower farmers. Amanda and Jonathan share their experiences with this selling model and offer helpful information for those curious about the opportunity to either start a collective or join an existing one.

Links & Mentions

Hummingbird Flower Co: Website Facebook

River City Flower Exchange: Website Instagram

Spring Forth Farm: Website Facebook Instagram

Piedmont Wholesale Flowers: Website Facebook Instagram

Stemz: Website Facebook Instagram

Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers Localflowers.org

Rooted Farmers: Website Instagram

On-Demand Course: Collectives 101

The Field and Garden Podcast is produced by Lisa Mason Ziegler, award-wining author of Vegetables Love Flowers and Cool Flowers, owner of The Gardener's Workshop, Flower Farming School Online, and the publisher of Farmer-Florist School Online and Florist School Online. Watch Lisa's Story and connect with Lisa on social!